Sectorial Ambitions
by Larry The Mailman
Summary: On the eve of the Second Great War, a mysterious fleet is thrown into the Koprulu Sector. A mysterious, yet highly capable fleet of massive warships and overwhelming firepower, this fleet was but a shadow of its parent fleet. Now, with a brand new sector of space to explore, it will restore both the glory of the Domain XIV Battlegroup, and perhaps of even the Human Domain itself.
1. Eckley To COMSEC, Where Are We?

Two years it had been since the defeat of the United Earth Directorate, led by Admiral DuGalle. Ever since, peace remained, rocked by turmoil and almost broken by many. The Terran Dominion, led by emperor Arcturus Mengsk, a visionary, and the person who brought partial unity to the Koprulu Sector, was hailed a hero by his people. He had backdoor dealings, secrets no one should know of, but he himself. There were those who resisted him, led by an infamous rebel, James Raynor. He had helped him gain power, but too late did he realize his goals weren't for the betterment of the Sector. Terrans, once more succumbing to infighting, readied their weapons, and prepared their fleets.

The Zerg, led by the Queen of Blades, Sarah Kerrigan, herself an infested Terran, had been awfully silent since the end of the Terran-dubbed 'Brood War'. A hive mind, once ruled by the enigmatic Overmind, were a force to be reckoned with. If one was spotted, many more lingered close-by, waiting for an opportune time to leap out and strike. Evolution and adaptation at its finest.

And the Protoss. They were split into three: the Daelaam, led by Artanis, Hierarch of the Daelaam. He had led his people from their ancestral home of Aiur, to the safety of Shakuras. home to the Nerazim, the banished caste of the Protoss, whom were unfairly judged by those who came before Artanis. And the Tal'darim, ruthless and thirsty of battle. They were fanatics, and rarely ventured far from their territory. But war was on the horizon, the three major races would be at war once more, fighting one another, only to be joined by someone else. Someone mysterious and enigmatic, and someone very, very dedicated to their goal.

One of great power, a lost legion of a dead nation, hellbent on restoring it to its original glory. In their mission, they became titans of industry, but not of technology. Their gargantuan capital ships dominate the stars, black and orange, proudly wearing the fiery phoenix of their new nation: whose goal was to restore the Human Domain.

* * *

Everyone was unconscious. The entire fleet, very slowly drifting in the abyss of space. Some of those ships are freighters, the bulk of them being Buffalo-class freighters, proudly wearing a fiery phoenix on their hull, a blue and orange colour scheme, mixed in with white, designed like a box, with no obvious modifications to the hull. Every fleet also needed tankers, for without anti-matter fuel, no one could go anywhere. As such, the fleet had a single Prometheus-class Tanker, which was a giant in its own right, accompanied by three Phaeton-class Tankers, smaller yet equally reliable tankers. Then there are some of the frigates, mostly small ships that resemble fast-moving mobile weapons platforms rather than ships, the Monitor-class ships. Destroyers taking the shape of a hammer, the aptly named Hammerhead-class ships, with their small, yet impressive weapons systems, ranging from Heavy Mortars to Sabot Small Range Missiles. Cruisers of varying power, specific specializations and generalized capabilities, the bulk of them being Eagle-class and Falcon-class ships, with only two carriers, the Legion-class Heavy Cruisers. Each equipped with a plethora of ballistic weaponry, alongside four flight decks each, they are invaluable in every good captain's fleet. Lastly, the backbones of the fleet: the venerable Onslaught-class Battleships. Seven of the behemoths lead the fleet, with their armour capable of withstanding punishment that no other ship in the fleet could, their built-in two Thermal Pulse Cannons providing them with artillery, and the massive amounts of ballistic and kinetic weaponry strewn about the hull, alongside some torpedo launchers, for when it really needs to end a ship. And of course, what was captured from a perfidious Megacorporation. Sleek, elegant designs of dark-blue, outfitted with not one, not two, not three, but four Phase Generators, allowing it to enter a pocket dimension, invisible to normal scanners. They were the Megacorporation's most prized possessions, next to their closely-guarded 'Glass Cannon' as pirates called it, and their formidable capital ship. This, was the Doom-class Phase Cruiser.

Out of the seven Onslaughts, only three stand out the most. These three venerable Onslaughts are not only command ships of the fleet, but are also donned in the colours of orange and black, the colours of the Hegemony, the successor to the Human Domain, and of the Domain XIV Battlegroup that founded the Hegemony. Ships that were part of the XIV Battlegroup were considered to be the best of the best, capable of competing with even the toughest of ships the Persean Sector could've thrown at them. Survivors of a mighty armada, only the XIV Battlegroup Legion-class ships remain hidden, none surviving into the 215th Cycle since the collapse of the Gate system, for the last one in service to the Hegemony, even if indirectly, the HSS Graf Spe, was destroyed in the Penelope's Star system by the vengeful Sindrian Diktat, aided by the Tri-Tachyon Megacorporation.

All in all, there were about 20 Buffalo-class Freighters, 1 Prometheus-class Tanker, 3 Phaeton-class Tankers, 13 Monitor-class Frigates, 12 Hammerhead-class Destroyers, 15 Eagle-class and Falcon-class Cruisers, alongside 2 Legion-class Heavy Cruisers/Carriers, alongside 4 Onslaught-class Battleships and 3 XIV Battlegroup Onslaught-class Battleships with 3 Doom-class Phase Cruisers that were mothballed to reduce the stress on the Hegemony 5th Armada. But the crew of the armada was slowly awakening from their unconsciousness, wondering just how long they've been unconscious. One of the crew members who woke up later than the others was none other that Captain Lee Eckley, Hegemony Naval Officer, sent to hunt down an extremely notorious pirate: Kanta herself. Sadly, the last he remembers is definitely not finding her. Getting off the floor and dusting off his standard naval uniform, a officer's coat of sand-green with streaks of orange on it, Eckley could see that some of the crew has already awakened, and were too busy maintaining the ship and checking for malfunctions to move any of the bodies. Groaning, he heard the clicking of boots behind him, instinctively performing a 180 degree turn on his heels.

"Captain Eckley, sir!"

It was a relatively young woman, wearing the COMSEC officers uniform, which was similar to his, but only black and orange as opposed to his. She had a scar running down from the bridge of her nose to her left cheek, oddly complementing her perfectly. Lieutenant Alexandra Moore was a fairly recent addition to his ship, yet an addition he did not question. Her knowledge of what lay beyond the Core Worlds was invaluable, as was her DELTA-5 clearance in the Hegemony, granting his armada intel it normaly wouldn't have. Besides, she was recommended by his old friend, Colonel Olympian Erickson, who was a fairly known officer of the Hegemony's ground forces, and having previously been a Quartermaster, he knew logistics like the back of his hand. Exactly why the troops liked him: he provided them a realistic chance to see the next day, free of life-threathening injuries.

"At ease, lieutenant. How long was I out cold?"

"At the least? Probably three hours."

He chuckled. "Of course. Lieutenant, I need a SITREP immediately, get myself up to speed."

"As you say, sir." She sighed. "So far, we have lost no ships, and the crews of the other ships are waking up from their unconsciousness. No malfunctions reported, no nothing. Combat Readiness is less than optimal, but it will improve as more of the crews start waking up. We have also been performing some surveys of the planets in this system, but nothing concrete as of yet."

"I see." Eckley paused, pondering. "What was the last thing you remember before we went unconscious?"

"Sadly, nothing. However, one of the crew members remembers us passing through an inactive Gate, a commemoration of the Domain, like we always do. Except this time apparently, the Gate was active."

Eckley tensed, surprise seen on his face. "Can you confirm this?" He asked, receiving a nod from the young officer. "In that case, can we go back, alert the High Hegemon of this discovery?"

"Sadly sir, we are nowhere near the Gate. It appears that the Gate threw us far into this new Sector, but thankfully, it threw us into a system with its fair share of habitable planets. From what preliminary scans could gleam, most of these worlds are either Class-IV or Class-V worlds, with some minor Class-III planets strewn about."

"That's good, lieutenant. Is there any chance we can begin colonization of those planets?" Eckley asked, as he moved towards a console on the bridge, to access the navigational map. He was a little frustrated to see that the Sector remained largely undiscovered and unsurveyed, but at least they had gotten into a good system.

Moore moved to the same console as well, switching to the system map for convenience sake. "We can only colonize one planet so far, but in about three to four months, we should be able to colonize a second planet with the start of Heavy Industry, which will be prioritized right after fertile lands are claimed."

"Excellent. Do we still have one of those Corrupted Nanoforges with us?" Eckley asked, to which Moore replied positively. "Make sure the engineers are ready to transport it to our future colony once its established."

"As you say, sir." Moore gave her superior a salute, before exiting the bridge. Eckley looked around, sighing. This would be one of those days, except now, he'd be dealing with far more than what he bargained for. The voice of a comms officer drew his attention, as the man was leaning down to see the screen of the navigator's in-system map. "Sir, unidentified contacts near the edge of the system, they just dropped in."

* * *

It was a rather simple mission: track down some refugees running from god-knows-what, disable their ships, board their ships and take anything of value. Sure, prisoners are a must, but this freelance pirate captain cares less about such trivial things. He'd rather just airlock them all and be done with it. He didn't have access to any proper shipyards, so his ship, a Terran Battlecruiser, a Behemoth-class, the 'Broken God' was an amalgamation of ship parts scavenged from other ships, with the hull being able to support a multitude of guns, including some energy weapons. The Yamato Cannon that should've been on the front was replaced with a massive missile launching system, built into the ship's very spine, due to the Yamato Cannon's inability to operate properly on such a changed ship.

Dropping out of warp, the pirate captain found the ships he was looking for: some Hercules-class Transports, with a very light Wraith escort, with the ships totalling to 10, 2 of which are the transports. Against the Battlecruiser and whatever fighter complements it may have had, this was child's play. But.. some of the crew had a feeling that something bad was going to happen, but they dismissed it as just another attempt by their consciousness to lead them astray from the life of piracy. A very lucrative life, too.

On one of the fleeing transports, the leader of the refugees, Jeffrey Sticks, an engineer at heart, was growing worried. Their supplies were dwindling and their escorts were non-existant, and it was only a matter of time before that Battlecruiser caught up with them. Jeffrey was a 46 year old man, with signs of his short black hair graying. He wore a Dominion engineer jumpsuit, which was his only one, and was about as innocent as one could get in the Koprulu Sector. Jeffrey slowly made his way past the refugees and to the pilot's cabin, enveloped entirely by a dim red light, to see the pilot removing some sweat from his forehead.

"How're you holding up?"

"Honestly? Not too great, lad. Ship's engines were nicked in the previous confrontation. Me an' the boys are doing whatever we can to keep them alive, but it won't last much longer. With any luck-" The pilot was interrupted by a long beep coming from the control console. It repeated itself after two seconds, with the pilot turning his head to meet his boss' brown eyes. "Who the hell could this be? That damn skallywag Florence?"

Upon answering the hail, the two men were met with a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one, if it can be a welcome one.

"Unidentified ships, this is the HSS Pride of Eventide. You are approaching Hegemony-controlled space, identify yourselves or we will open fire." The rough sound of a man spoke, although it spoke calmly. Something sparked hope within Jeffrey, now scrambling to answer the hail, slowed down by the pilot who calmly gave him the chance.

"Uh, hello? Thi-this is Jeffrey Sticks, former Dominion engineer, we're uh... we're refugees from Pontis, we're being chased by pirates. Any chance you could help us out, please?"

The men could barely hear the other man speak something under his breath, most likely a curse. There was a slight pause, followed once more by voice.

"Transmit your IFF Codes so we can identify you as friendlies. Move to the back of the ships and await confirmation for the battle's end. Captain Lee Eckley out."

He couldn't believe his ears! For once, someone wasn't trying to shoot them down, threathen them or eat them! The refugee ships changed course, the escort quickly following them, constantly observing the Battlecruiser that was trailing them. It looked like some 20 odd minutes have passed, and the Battlecruiser was getting ever closer. And then, it came with its massive engines, awe-inspiring looks and impressive size, speeding past the refugees for all to see. This, was the Pride of Eventide, lead ship of the Hegemony 5th Armada, containing elements of the Domain XIV Battlegroup, Hegemony Regulars and Hegemony Auxiliaries, with captured Tri-Tachyon Megacorporation Phase Ships.

As the Pride of Eventide came closer to the Broken God, the two respective captains could see they were poised to attack. Outranging the Pride of Eventide with its missiles, the Broken God released multiple salvos of devastating missiles. They shot through the black, cold void of space with unrivaled speed, expecting to hit their target head on, only to be met by the merciless barrage of Dual Flak Cannons. This in turn slowed down the Pride of Eventide, if only slightly, due to the Flux build-up going above 1% of the optimal levels. Once the missiles were shot down, none of them managing to hit, the two ships came into range of each other, the Pride of Eventide not maneuvering at all, maintaining course, whilst the Broken God positioned itself to unleash its broadside weaponry. Weapons Batteries fired from the broadside like high-powered machineguns with deadly accuracy, some minor energy projectiles being shot at the Pride of Eventide. All of which, while effective, were stopped by the opposing ship's shields being raised moments prior, generating small amounts of Hard Flux in the ship's capacitors. While the pirate captain was ordering his men to scramble all Vikings, his ship was being torn asunder by a steady barrage of Thermal Pulse Cannons, ripping through the broadside of the Battlecruiser.

Not a moment too soon, as some crew that tried to save their skins launched out of the Broken God via escape pods, the Battlecruiser was torn apart, sending debris flying where ever it could. The crew of the Pride of Eventide cheered in celebration, for this was the Hegemony's first victory in this brand new sector of space. Even if it was a minor one, it made a good first impression with whoever was running from the pirates, which was seen as a godsend by them.

Eventually, as several Buffalo-class Freighters moved over the now destroyed pirate ship to salvage anything that would be useful, a meeting was organized between the leader of the refugees and the 5th Armada's captain. The shuttle that the captain provided for Jeffrey was graciously accepted. Upon the shuttle's landing, Jeffrey, and some other people he took as escort got out of the shuttle, being met with nothing too special: a man in his late fifties with gray hair in an olive green uniform, and a woman next to him, perhaps in her early thirties with a black uniform with orange and white linings on it, holding a datapad, likely browsing through some information on it. As soon as Jeffrey and his men got off the ramp, the grey haired man gave them a crisp military salute, eventually extending his right arm.

"Captain Lee Eckley of the Hegemony 5th Armada. You must be Jeffrey Sticks, am I correct?"

Jeffrey, although used to talking with government officials, was always nervous when it came to the military, which showed on his face. "Y-Yeah, nice to meet you, sir." He answered, shaking the man's hand, before retracting it. "I guess you're the one we should thank for protecting us."

"That would be correct. Now, you said something about being a former Domain engineer...?" Eckley asked, not quite catching what the man had said in their previous conversation.

"Uh, no, no, not Domain. Dominion. Former Dominion engineer."

"I see... sorry for the confusion, your rambling earlier on the comms made it sound like you said Domain." Jeffrey nodded to his answer, noting a tinge of... disappointment from the man. "But, it is good that you arrived, albeit unintentionally. Come, lieutenant Moore will show you to the meeting room, I have a few things to see to. Lieutenant?"

The captain turned around, leaving the five of them in the hangar bay, as the lieutenant gave her superior a salute, once more turning to the refugees. "Greetings, gentlemen. I am Lieutenant Alexandra Moore of the Hegemony 5th Armada, COMSEC Security Level Delta-5, and I guess your de-facto go-to woman for as long as you're staying on this ship. I guess introductions would be in order." Moore stated, moving some of her hair behind her ear, letting out a sigh of annoyance at the hair constantly obscuring her vision.

"Former Dominion medic, Melissa Moriarty. A pleasure to make your acquaintance." Melissa said joyfully, offering her hand for a handshake, which was shaken.

"Freelance mercenary, Edward Snowden, ma'am." Said Edward sharply, giving her a salute. This man she could respect.

"Former Confederate magistrate, Artemisia Sun." The elderly woman said, offering a handshake. She noted that Moore hesitated for a moment, before taking her up on the offer.

"Well, now that we have all been introduced, I believe it is time for us to get to the meeting room. I have to debrief an officer while we wait for the captain."


	2. Welcome to the Koprulu Sector

This was an absolute nightmare! Nothing could be more horrifying than this, not even being eaten alive! The Behemoth-class Battlecruisers and old Kraken-class Battlecruisers had atrocious maintenance, but this entire ship was an engineer's worst nightmare. Conductors running through the entire ship, branching into several capacitors to keep power flowing, a large amount of useless spare parts being combined into a crucial part instead of already having it and then mass-producing it, and worst of all: unstable power couplings which had the potential to shut down the majority of the ship, save for life support and engines. Jeffrey was simply giving glances left and right, judging the other engineers with his look, while doing his best to keep formalities.

Moore sighed, noticing the stares he had been giving the engineers. If he knew how Flux worked, he would quickly have changed his mind. The group of five moved as swiftly as was allowed, soon reaching the meeting room. It was nothing special: a semi-round table with a projector attached to the ceiling, and a holo-screen with the phoenix of the Hegemony proudly displayed on it. On one of the chairs, a man was seated, reading through some information on a Tri-Pad. Upon noticing the Lieutenant, the man got out of his chair to salute Moore, to which Moore responded with her own salute. She quickly turned around to face the guests.

"Please wait here while I debrief the Corporal. It won't take longer than five minutes." She said, taking a step back, only to allow the automated door to close. How very rude. The four individuals looked around a little, before eventually seating themselves.

"So... does anyone have any idea on what this 'Hegemony' is, exactly?" Jeffrey asked, the others offering no response. Sun looked awfully interested in her comms receiver, prompting Melissa to inquire as to why. Sun slyly smiled.

"Hear for yourselves." She said, turning the volume up so that the others could hear, yet low enough to not be heard by anyone wandering in.

"_COMSEC is this close to declaring Emergency Protocols, Corporal. I need your complete honesty. Was the Gate we passed through active?_" The voice of Alexandra could be heard.

"_Yes, ma'am. I've checked the outside surveillance, and maintenance reports state that nothing was damaged. The Gate was active._" The Corporal stated. An unsettling silence ensued.

"_Then it is true... return to your duties, Corporal. As of this moment, I am the acting COMSEC Director until connection is re-established with the Hegemony proper, due to me having the highest clearance. You will be notified of any COMSEC meetings I call for. Dismissed._"

"How did you-" Melissa was about to inquire, yet was interrupted by Edward.

"Confederate skepticism. Likely attached a bug on her while they shook hands." He said, now taking the time to think on what was said in that conversation.

"Mercenaries _can_ be intelligent, I see. A good thing the old Major is dead, otherwise I'd have to give him the credits I now owe him." Sun commented, smirking slightly, all the while Melissa and Jeffrey conversed in the corner of the waiting room they were in, having gotten up from their chairs.

"This just brings up new questions..." Jeffrey stated "Gates? Like, something similar to Protoss Gateways?"

"I wouldn't know, Jeffrey. It all sounds... I don't know, desperate?" Melissa attempted to deduct, perhaps wrong. The tone in the woman officer's voice while she spoke with the Corporal was certainly fluctuating throughout the conversation, so it was hard to say. But by the time the conversation could continue, the doors of the meeting room opened, the Corporal exiting, and the Lieutenant motioning for everyone to enter and take their seats; with Captain Eckley following behind. As soon as everyone took their seats, the Captain spoke up.

"Gentlemen, ladies, I am terribly sorry to keep you waiting. I had to go and dig through some old data to... familiarize you with our home. But before that, I would like to welcome you once more to the 'Pride of Eventide'." He exclaimed, standing next to a screen where a video projector was pointing at. He waited for comments patiently, finally getting one from Sun.

"And how can we be sure you aren't just mercenaries working for the Dominion?" She asked, looking the Captain square in the eyes, perhaps as an attempt to intimidate him. Yet he simply stared back.

"I can assure you, ma'am, that we are all _but_ mercenaries. Lieutenant, play the video. Let's familiarize them with the Persean Sector."

* * *

**DOMAIN-ERA SHORT DOCUMENTARY - PERSEAN SECTOR**

**TEN YEARS PRIOR TO THE COLLAPSE**

"The edge of the galaxy. Man's final frontier. Away from the Orion Arm where the home of each human is, and close to where we are now. I am Vice Admiral George Mattheson of the Domain Navy, giving you a guide through the Persean Sector. The average colonists' final frontier."

The scenery changed, to show an astrological map of the entire Persean Sector, with multiple systems being outlined clearly, for all to see.

"This is the Persean Sector, or better yet, what we had explored. Our automated Domain Explorarium is working vigilantly to find new habitable worlds for all future colonists to settle on, begin life anew, and make the Domain that much more prosperous. In the meantime, two systems stand out the most: the Corvus System, at the galactic south of the 'Core Worlds' region, and the Mayasuran System, to the galactic north of the 'Core Worlds' region, bordered by the Hybrasil System to its galactic east. Within the Corvus System lies its crown jewel: Jangala."

The screen zoomed in on the Corvus System slowly but surely, eventually panning to a planet lush with life, a true beauty for all humans.

"Jangala is a Jungle World, a Class-V world according to our scaling system. Ideal conditions for every human, if it weren't for its Inimical Biosphere. But worry not, future colonists, for it is kept under control by the Domain Armed Forces and local Colonial Authorities. Jangala is an elustrious planet, with its natural beauty far surpassing even some of our most prosperous worlds outside the Persean Sector, such as Dathon, in the Artemis Sector, and Haven, in the edge of the still-to-be-named Sector of space, not too far from Earth. But now, I think it is time we talked about the crown jewel of the Domain's entire colonial effort here in the Persean Sector: Mairaath."

The screen zoomed out rapidly from the Corvus System, now zooming in on the Mayasura System, eventually revealing an astonishing array of orbital platforms above Mairaath, alongside massive ground-based Atmospheric Induction Units littering the surface of this beautiful planet.

"This is Mairaath. The crown jewel of not just the Mayasura System, but of the whole Persean Sector. It was nothing more than an Arid, lifeless planet, barely a Class-III planet in its own right. However, it was also the most perfect candidate for terraformation since Lathion in the Artemis Sector. Upon the arrival of the **Eridani-Utopia Corporation**, Mairaath became their highest priority, and no amount of resources was deemed too high for the terraformation project. The result? A perfect Terran World, still considered for Class-VI status: first of its kind, by the Domain Explorarium. Mairaath temporarily served as the IX Battlegroup's Forward Operating Base, to which its admiral had to comment that it was 'what Earth could be one day'. And now, this Sector's new arrival into the Hybrasil System."

The screen blackened all of a sudden, changing colour to blue, with streaks of white forming what looked like a triangle located within a circle, with yet another circle located within said triangle.

"**Tri-Tachyon Megacorporation** CEO, Daniel Monroe, had just moved several Research and Development assets into the Hybrasil System, receiving over one hundred tonnes of terraformation equipment from the Eridani-Utopia Corporation, to aid in the terraformation of Eochu Bres, a Tundra Planet of Class-IV, as well as another Class-IV planet: Culaan. For those of you who do not follow Domain politics closely enough, I suggest you listen: the Tri-Tachyon Megacorporation has been, in part, responsible for the invention of the Gate system: large rings of pure adamantite, which allow for instantaneous travel between active Gates, everywhere in the Domain, all at once. A Gateless system is a system not worth colonizing, and the horrors of one Gate shutting down are too great to be ignored in full. However, next to that, Tri-Tachyon has also taken a huge role in weapons development, as well as illegal development of Artificial Intelligence beyond our ability to control. Tri-Tachyon has had its assets confiscated on many occasions due to their numerous breaches of the **_Domain Ban on Autonomous Alpha AI Development_**, as well as other legislative lapses, and usage of governmental loopholes. Thankfully, the Domain XIV Battlegroup will be assigned to the Persean Sector within the end of this decade, and will make sure Tri-Tachyon obeys the law. And with that, I find it appropriate to end this little documentary introduction to the Persean Sector. I will say that you are to expect a more in-depth guide to the Sector within the coming weeks, as the Eridani-Utopia Corporation finishes terraformation of Mairaath. Until next time, ladies and gentlemen. I bid you farewell."

* * *

**PRIDE OF EVENTIDE: MEETING ROOM, 3:07 PM SHIPBOARD TIME**

The entire meeting room was silent. Not because of what they had seen, hardly, but because of what was said.

"Any questions?" Lee asked, glancing at everyone present, before he saw Jeffrey raise his hand so as to speak up.

"You aren't with... the Directorate, are you?" He asked slowly, almost as if trying to surpress a panic attack.

"I am sorry. Directorate?" Eckley asked, getting further elaboration from Edward.

"The United Earth Directorate. They came to this sector a few years ago to conquer it. They failed."

"I see." Eckley said, massaging his forehead, sighing. "So Earth was taken over by secessionists... I see the Collapse spared no one."

"Collapse?" Melissa inquired, a little confused. "Did something happen to the Domain?"

Eckley took a good look at her, and then at Moore, the woman sighing. She spoke up.

"The Collapse is a term we use for the total failure of the Gate system in the Persean Sector, and everywhere else. The Gates went dormant, and no one could use them whatsoever." She paused. "We speculated that the Domain fell, as well. It's been two-hundred-and-six years since the Collapse."

"And since you call yourselves the Hegemony, that also makes you secessionists, in a sense." Sun mentioned, slowly pissing off the Lieutenant and the Captain.

"The Hegemony is the remnant of the Domain XIV Battlegroup. We are the closest faction in the Persean Sector, and now in the rest of the galaxy, to be considered a legitimate government, or at least an extension of the Domain." Eckley said, sternly so. The former Confederate magistrate was getting on his nerves. Alas, he was 'saved' by one of the officers entering the room, and saluting the two superiors.

"Sir, we have a preliminary report on the planet that we are currently orbiting."

"And?" Eckley asked, intrigued.

"There is no evidenced that this planet was ever colonized. However, sir, we did find evidence of terraformation. The various stages of terraformation are consistent with Eridani-Utopia Protocols. And sir..." The officer paused, looking at his Tri-Pad once more.

"Spit it out, son. I don't bite." Stated the Captain, everyone present now intrigued.

"The _HSS Nirvana's Respite_ found evidence of a Gate in this system, sir. It's incomplete, however, likely abandoned mid-construction."

Once more silence fell upon the room. Eridani-Utopia's interest in this planet, and now an incomplete Gate...

"Everyone out." Alexandra ordered, the four Terrans looking confused. "I said, everyone out. And as for you, _ma'am_." She said, looking in Sun's direction, taking off a small device off her person. "I advise against planting more of these in the future. It's detrimental to your well-being." Threathened the Lieutenant, crushing the small device in her fist, prompting the four Terrans to leave the meeting room. As soon as they left, she turned to her Captain.

"I am calling a COMSEC meeting."

"May I ask why, specifically?" Eckley tried to inquire.

"To invoke Restoration Protocols."

* * *

**UNCHARTED SPACE: HYPERION, 8:15 AM SHIPBPARD TIME**

The crew were minding their own business, either killing time in the Cantina, or performing their duties at their assigned posts. However, many important people were down in the Laboratory.

"Finally have some info on this thing?" Asked James Raynor, leader of Raynor's Raiders, as he walked into the labs. Apparently quite a few people had gathered, including Swann, the ship's most skilled engineer, and Matthew Horner, Jim's friend and close confidant, as well as admiral.

"Yes, I have finally gained some information. The files were incredibly encrypted, but with some help from Swann, I have pemetrated the system's cyber defenses, and finally gained access to some information." Said Ariel Hanson, the female scientist and refugee leader, pushing her glasses up, whilst holding a datapad.

"Then cut to the chase, Hanson. What're we looking at?"

"Apparently, this is a cryotank designed for a single person, and made for mass production for, apparently, colonization purposes." She said, browsing through the available information, allowing Swann to chime in.

"Haven't been able to take it apart because someone's in it, but listen 'ere, hotshot. This tech is ancient, at least two hundred years old. But that ain't the bad part. It's the manufacturer that concerns me, pal." Swann stated, pushing a few buttons on the console near him, allowing Jim to come close and take a look.

**TRI-TACHYON MEGACORPORATION SUBSIDIARY "CRYO-TEK" MANUFACTURED CRYOSLEEPER SHIP. PLANET OF ORIGIN: EARTH. INBOUND TO - ARTEMIS SECTOR. ESCORTED BY - GUARDIAN-CLASS DRONE BATTLECRUISER**

"This day just keeps getting better and better..." Jim stated, taking out his flask, so as to take a swig of alcohol, ease his nerves. Matt was the next to raise his voice.

"Earth? Earth is the homeworld of the UED, what could they be doing with cryosleep technology?"

"That's the craziest part, sunshine. That ain't Directorate tech. Take a look at this, last thing we found." Swann replied, once more pushing a few buttons on the same console.

**DOMAIN DIRECTIVE #722 - UPON CRYOSLEEPER SHIP ARRIVAL TO ARTEMIS SECTOR, LOCAL COLONIAL AUTHORITY CO-OPERATION WITH DOMAIN NAVY PERSONNEL IS MANDATORY. INVESTIGATION OF 'DIABLE AVIONICS' PARA-MILITARY/CORPORATE ENTITY IS TO BE CARRIED OUT IN FULL BY ORDERS OF DOMAIN COUNCILMAN ANDREW S. ORION**

"Domain... that's the first time I heard of them. Any idea on who they are, Matt?" Jim asked, taking a look at his comrade, who stood next to him. All the while, Matt continued to observe the console.

"Frankly, I have no idea. Break-away from the Directorate?" Matt asked, more likely himself rather than any one person. Yet, as he asked that, the console, which was linked to the cryotakn, itself linked to the supposed Cryosleeper Ship which was drifting aimlessly near the Hyperion, suddenly started transmitting an audio message.

"**Hyperwave connection found. Accessing crew manifest. Crew manifest access successful, remaining crew in stable condition: three hundred. Broadcasting Domain Cryosleeper Distress Signal on all hyperwave networks and frequencies. Any attempt to subdue signal will be met with armed intervention of re-awakened Cryosleeper Ship Tactical Marine Squads. Beginning transmission.**"

Just as it finished, and Stetmann and Swann moved to shut it up, the Hyperion's entire broadcasting system went dead, only for it to begin an unknown broadcast.

"**This is an emergency distress call from Domain Cryosleeper Ship Artemis-4. We have went off-course while en-route from the Corvus Gate to the Antirian Gate, and hereby request immediate relief. Three hundred colonists and military personnel are currently alive and in cryosleep. Usage of Domain Communication Relays to triangulate our position is now authorized. Transmit distress code to local authorities to gain access to Domain Communication Relays: Seven-Five-Alpha-Juliet-Kilo-Tachyon-Zero. This message will be on repeat until the distress transponder is shut-down upon successful rescue.**"


	3. Dawn of Titans

**Greetings, miners of Cruor and radical terrorists of Epiphany! Larry here, ready to answer some reviews you've left. COMSEC filter is on, so do beware.**

**A - Why thank you very much, good sir! I am glad you like both the interactions and the story so far.**

**To answer your concerns ground-wise, I will be taking the liberty of adding ground-based tech for the Hegemony, basically bootlegged Domain-era mechs and whatnot.**

**As for your second question, yes, the Hegemony has just enough resources to fortify their system and set up heavy industry. As well as a couple of Gamma Cores to aid them in opening some Jump Points (Desperate times call for desperate measures).**

**And trust me, while Starcraft's ships may be built faster, better and with superior weapons, Starsector has a few (slightly unfair) advantages. You'll see them soon enough. Just remember the Doom-class and how uh... big, the ships can get.**

**B - Yessir, other mod factions may be name-dropped and/or included, depending on what path I decide to take this story in.**

**Oh and do excuse how late this is. Other projects drew my attention away, and then I accidentally took a massive hiatus off Starsector so I had to recap myself on the lore and stuff.**

* * *

**UNCHARTED SPACE: DOMAIN CRYOSLEEPER SHIP ARTEMIS-4, UNKNOWN SHIPBOARD TIME**

**THREE HOURS AFTER DISTRESS BEACON ACTIVATION**

The steady beat of klaxons rang throughout the deteriorating hull of the ship, colour-based alarms firing off after over two-hundred-and-fifteen years of dormancy. Over seven hundred, unmarked cryotanks, slowly opened, revealing a plethora of individuals, each one wearing a black jumpsuit, and each one handpicked by Sector Command itself to be put in cryosleep, and wake up once they were at their destination... or when the external defenses failed. As it stood, the seven hundred individuals were slightly confused, yet the sounds of alarms going off woke them up from their daze. One man, with short black hair, straight posture, rough and commanding voice, observed the areas around him. The Cryosleeper Ship was in complete disrepair: it was a wonder none of the cryotanks deactivated.

"Alright, people, listen up! I want each of you to get your gear and head straight for this sorry ship's bridge! **Pollux Armaments** was generous enough to give us _Mark IV Tactical Assault Armour_, so use those instead of the Mark IIIs we were issued! Now get moving!" Barked out **Stefan Slavik**, a Polish man of thirty-six, who was raised in the Canadian region, prior to his departure from Earth to join the Domain Armed Forces. As his men eventually got to the Armoury, they found it relatively intact, and as such, all eight hundred units of _Mark VII Armanti Gauss Rifles_, alongside their ammunition, including the Pollux Armaments armour, were intact. Such was the efficiency of these select few from the Domain, that they were all but ready for combat within ten minutes. As Slavik started ushering his men out of the Armoury, he decided to activate the ship's broadcasting system, give the intruders a little scare.

"**Alright you shitheads, listen up! You've just made the worst mistake of your sorry lives, that no amount of cryosleep will fix! Once we're done here, we'll get your Domain IDENT Chips, scan 'em, and then either airlock you or give you a semblance of hope in the form of trial. Those who resist will be shot, those who shoot back will be fucking erased from existence. Because ready or not, here we fucking come!**"

The threat, in theory at least, should have left the combat-ready enemies confused long enough for his Shock Troops to 'pacify' them. Slavik ordered three of his men to follow him, as they went separate of the main groups, intent on making a sweep of the outlying sections of the ship. As they passed through the heavily damaged areas of the Cryosleeper Ship, their eyes eventually landed on confused scientists in white protective suits, attempting to open up one of the many cryotanks. They had a man, clad in red power armour, protecting them, but the element of surprise left even the mightiest of foes at a disadvantage. Firing off three shots, one of Slavik's men managed to blast through the enemy's visor, sending the bulky marine to his grave, and eventually the floor. One of the scientists, a young lad, spoke up.

"P-Please don't kill us! I beg you!" He begged, yet it only partially fell on deaf ears. The man was slammed to the floor, one of the Shock Troopers searching him vigorously, whilst the other two men, and his superior, held the scientists at gun-point.

"This guy is empty! No IDENT Chip!"

"Fuck!" Swore Slavik, as he clutched his radio swiftly, turning it on.

"_All units, this is Colonel Slavik speaking, don't bother searching for IDENT Chips, fuckers probably don't have them! If you see men with bulky power armour in red, shoot them in the visor! If you can't, aim for the joints and bring them down!_" Commanded Slavik, turning off his radio, spun around to look at the scientist who had begged for his life previously. "And now you, egghead. What the hell were you thinking, attacking a Domain Cryosleeper Ship!? You had to slog through some serious defenses to get on-board, since this is a vessel with high ranking military personnel!"

"I-I don't know anything! I was assigned to this ship to see what interested Raynor so much, and then the distress signal came and we started jamming it to keep pirates away-" The balding scientist couldn't even finish, before getting hit in the face with the butt of a Gauss Rifle, the others staying silent. Once more, Slavik went for his radio.

"_This is Colonel Slavik speaking, we have a confirmed jammer on-board. Reform Wolf Pack Paxis._" Slavik said coldly, before slamming the radio back into its position on his armour. "Bring these idiots to the bridge once its cleared out. We have a ship to shoot down."

* * *

**UNCHARTED SPACE: DOMINION BATTLECRUISER "VALIANT", 9:12 AM SHIPBOARD TIME**

**30 MINUTES SINCE CONTACT LOSS**

"Admiral, the jammer has just been deactivated." The lieutenant declared, with the aging admiral frowning. Something had happened on the unknown ship, and he knew almost nothing. He pondered on the design of the ship a little more, observing it from the Battlecruiser's bridge. It was a rather utilitarian design, all things considered, which favoured safety and capacity over aesthetics, and even weapons. As a matter of fact, the ship wasn't even under escort, which was rather strange for something which was transporting, if reports were to be believed, humans frozen in cryostasis.

The **Minotaur-class Battlecruiser** kept its distance from the enormous transport ship, its size rather easily dwarfing that of the Battlecruiser, and its inoperative escort ship. Anything of this size to be made by anyone in the Koprulu Sector would not go undiscovered, and then there was the ship before him. Its size was monstrous, dwarfing even **Zerg Leviathans** in their prime, and they were over six kilometers in size. He didn't believe it was ever seen before, let alone even rumored to exist, but he did recall something from the days of the former Confederacy. It was mostly hearsay, but some of their officials spoke of 'old ships of massive size', yet that was merely legend, and they most likely fabricated it to fit their agenda.

"Lieutenant, any progress on analyzing the ship?" The admiral finally asked, his lieutenant nodding, he himself beginning to speak.

"Aye, admiral. Electronics of the ship were concealing the contents, but after some tuning, I've managed to get past it. Scanning now." He declared, activating the scanners that the Valiant possessed. Even with the scanner being fine-tuned, results came with a considerable delay, something all the bridge crew understood, and knew very well. However, as the first trickles of scan feedback came in, and were displayed on the monitors of the bridge, a silence befell the room.

One million. Two million. Three million. Four million. The feedback began skipping numbers, reaching up to twenty million. The shock on the bridge crew's faces grew with each new number, the admiral himself staring silently at his screen; one hundred million and counting. That didn't make any sense; the distress signal stated only three hundred were alive. Could it have malfunctioned?

"Admiral." One of the female officers spoke, looking at the admiral with a worried expression. "We have an unknown contact headed our way."

He nodded in acknowledgement, recomposing himself for the eventual identification of this contact. He was almost sure it was Raynor approaching; he was always crafty, that bastard. He had activated the ship's broadcasting system, and soon enough, he had begun calling out orders. "_Attention all personnel, man your battlestations. Unidentified contact approaching._" He calmly said. All that was left was to wait until the ship got into weapons range. He could almost feel it, taking in Raynor, bringing him to Korhal for sentencing, and his promotion to Grand Admiral. What was to stop him? Raynor? He had studied him ever since the **Brood Wars** ended, there was no trick Raynor could pull that the admiral didn't study about. If only it was Raynor approaching.

The ship was now in visual range, and it looked nothing like a Battlecruiser. As a matter of fact, it looked nothing like anything in the Sector. It was, to him, a mishmash of various components, modules and metals, all standardized to form this monster. It was wide, very, very wide, and where ever he looked, he could see one weapon or another, all trained at the Valiant. And the speed... it was speeding toward them. No, it was on a- "_**IMPACT!**_" Yelled out the admiral, the bridge crew heeding his command almost instantly, holding onto anything they could. Each second it came closer and closer, until finally, it slammed directly into the Battlecruiser. The crash was a calamity, knocking out multiple systems critical to the ship's operation, save for the artificial gravity generator, and the life support systems.

Parts of the Battlecruiser were penetrated, launching crew members inside of those compartments into the cold void of space, before promptly being sealed shut. It was funny how fast the tables had turned. The Dominion's finest ship, beaten so quickly and effortlessly by such a mismatched ship, likely the result of a sadistic engineer wanting to make as big of a logistical nightmare as he could before being sacked. The male intelligence officer was among the first to wake up from blacking out, looking around the bridge in a daze. It had only been minutes since impact, but the repercussions of said ramming maneuver were easily magnified tenfold, simply by the sheer size of the enemy ship.

"Fuck..." He muttered out, still dazed, as he saw his commanding officer laying in a forming puddle of his own blood, most likely having hit the edge of a console with full force. He tried making a few steps, yet the alarms kept blasting into his ears, the pounding headache only becoming worse. The man desperately tried to turn them off, if only to offer himself brief respite before coming to terms with the situation which was most dire.

He soon noticed the communications array spewing static, having caught onto a signal, either from within the ship, or outside. Still dazed, the man gave into his curiosity, listening in, hoping beyond hope that it was another Dominion ship.

"... Colonel, I need a SITREP, now. I'm seeing an unknown ship which got rammed by a Wall-class, what's going on? ..." The distinctly male voice asked, the Dominion officer's eyes widening as he realized what this meant. Had the comms array managed to tap into the enemy's communications? He had to know more.

"... I don't care, set up aquaculture and farming facilities planetside, we need the infrastructure set up rapidly. Recall the ships from hyperspace and disassemble them to get proper facilities operational as soon as possible- ... Yes, I am certain. We can't keep them in suspension, not after this supposed attack. Prioritize a Cryorevival Facility as soon as the food infrastructure is ready. Rip out the Beta Cores from some of the ships and begin constructing a Von Neumann probe the moment we have shipbuilding facilities operational, any defects will be repaired by it."

"... how many fighter bays do we still have operational? ... Excellent. Launch all Baileys, and prepare the emergency Kite-class Shuttles for a boarding action." The equipment gave in, broadcasting the last snippet of a broadcast from the massive ship, before promptly shutting down, losing its power supply.

* * *

**ARLON SYSTEM: HSS "PRIDE OF EVENTIDE", 1:33 PM SHIPBOARD TIME**

**ALEXANDRA MOORE P.O.V**

The meeting room was getting more populated with each minute. So far, there were over twelve officers eligible for COMSEC assignment present, with three more on their way from the HSS "Valhalla's Hammer" and the TTS "Shadowstrike", of all ships, due to the officer being assigned to maintenance duty an hour before. She continued observing the officers already present, reviewing the topics of the meeting on her TriPad once more.

"Ma'am." One of the approaching lieutenants spoke out, saluting her as he came into the meeting room. "Captain Jacobson regrets to inform you that repairs of the TTS 'Shadowstrike' are taking more time than projected, and will miss the meeting." He relayed, with Alexandra sighing in frustration. That was one who wasn't coming...

"Very well, lieutenant. Inform him that he will be briefed on the contents of the meeting as soon as it is done." She ordered, the lieutenant saluting her, before moving out of the room.

She observed the men one last time, taking note of the remaining two to have entered, with Captain Eckley locking the doors, so that no one could disturb them. She waited a few more seconds for the two to take their seats, tapping her TriPad several times, the holo-screen lighting up in response. "Gentlemen." She called out, the room falling silent, all eyes trained on her. "We are facing a dilemma we have not seen since the Collapse. And that is a new beginning. But this time, we don't have the luxury of pre-planned Domain-era infrastructure, however bare-bones it was." She spoke firmly, the holo-screen finally presenting the marvel of engineering that was the Gate; a ring of adamantite that dwarfed anything previously built by the Domain, connecting the Domain from the Sol System to the Orion Constellation, from Sagittarius to the shores of the Perseus Arm. Yet despite its impressive size as of now, many could see it is incomplete, abandoned midway through construction... yet much of the orbital platforms remained, and presumably, much of the equipment.

"We have reason to believe that, with enough work and reverse-engineering, we can finish construction of the Gate. Considering it was offline when the Collapse happened, its systems shouldn't be compromised by whatever caused it." Alexandra stated, some hushed talk beginning to be heard as the officers discussed the potential ramifications of what was being implied. Questions would be asked shortly, and Alexandra instinctively knew who would be the first to ask them.

She was around Alexandra's age, a woman coming from the shipyards of _Kazeron_, unhappy with how the **Persean League** handled things in their corner of the Core Worlds. Long, blonde hair tied into a ponytail, her uniform crystal clean as it brandished three pins, the first one being the Tri-Tachyon logo turned upside down; her first notable kill in her career, the TTS 'Carmania', an Astral-class. The other two were of the PLS 'Althuf's Hero' and the last one, most curiously, belonged to her now deceased relative whom had taken part in the battle for _Mairaath_; the MNS 'Raven Claw'.

"Ma'am, if I may." She spoke up, Alexandra giving her the go-ahead, prompting the woman to continue. "I have my concerns for the operational secrecy of this undertaking. If this Sector was indeed under full control of the Domain, then we can expect some level of escalation from whatever secessionists may exist. They know this Sector more than we do." She pointed out, bringing forth an argument which many in the room agreed with.

"I'll answer that." Eckley motioned toward Alexandra, continuing to stand near the doors. "From our brief conversation with the secessionists, they have no idea that the Domain was even a thing." He paused, gauging the reactions of the officers present. "They know very little, and even what they know they admitted was hear-say. I hope that answers that, Lieutenant Adoren."

"It does, Captain. Thank you." The lieutenant stated, having no more questions to ask for the time being. Eventually, Alexandra continued on with her presentation.

"Now, next to the Gate, we had also found evidence of terraformation attempts made by the Eridani-Utopia Corporation on the planet, more than likely completed, but then abandoned mid-way, given that some terraofrmation equipment is still present. With that in mind, the planet is ideal for immediate colonization, with enough resources to build enough of an industry to reach self-sustainability in a relatively short time. Anything of quality, however, will have to wait for a while, and will more than likely be somewhat ahead of the Gate's construction, but nonetheless proportional to it." She explained, showing the results of the preliminary analysis the fleet had performed prior to the meeting.

"With all that said, I summoned all of you here to discuss matters of Sector Security. By now I know you came to the conclusion that we will be invoking Restoration Protocols, but not how. We plan on creating a buffer zone around this system and protect it heavily, keeping the Gate a secret until it is complete, and ready for activation." Alexandra began, outlying the plan for the Hegemony's restoration of the old Domain.

"Ma'am, if I may." A male officer spoke. "Without COMSEC, I don't imagine this will be possible. And so far, you are the only COMSEC member in the entire armada." He told Alexandra, the woman giving the room a rather small smile, only Lieutenant Adoren and Captain Eckley noticing it.

"I am glad you asked. As of this moment, all present in this room will be admitted into COMSEC, while I act as standing Director until contact with the Hegemony proper is re-established. All of you will be receiving Delta-5 clearance, and will be acting as our eyes and ears in the Sector. The secessionists will be utilized to spread our information network as we begin infiltration into any factions which exist in the Sector, subtly manipulating them to achieve our goals. Please inform the secessionists that they are to report to the Quartermaster to obtain their Domain IDENT-Chips. Dismissed."


End file.
